I have a lab that uses my 13 yr old daughter as a chew toy. her arms are coverd in bruises. how do i stop him?

Question

He is 70lbs. and 7 months old. Recently neutered. We have tried everything. He never breaks the skin, but I had to take her to the dr. today because of swelling and tingling in her arm where he got her last night. Other than this he is a very good dog, but when he goes after her he doesn't respond to any commands or spankings. He doesn't treat anyone else in the house this way. Just her

Answer 1

Get a can, like an empty peanut can, fill it with beans or marbles, and whenver he even starts to do that, give the can a good hard shake. The noise will startle him and he should stop. Also, make sure your daughter isn't unknowingly doing something to encourage this behaviour. Maybe you should call in a professional who deals with dogs behavioral issues.

Answer 2

Have you enrolled him in obedience? Another commentor told you it was time for the dog to go, I'm not so sure. I have several suggestions. First, please keep in mind your dog is a puppy. Labs are VERY slow maturing dogs, particularly the males. He will exhibit puppy-like behaviors until he is at least two years old, and often a bit longer than that even. Mouthing (which is what it sounds like you are describing) is definitely a puppy behavior, but if not correctly early can escalate. Also keep in mind your dog isn't hurting your daughter intentionally. He may also be going through some teething.

First, be sure you are exercising him enough. He should be getting at least two walks/runs a day for at least 30-45 minutes each day. Providing a sporting breed dog (or any breed) with the proper amount of exercise each day will do wonders for their temperament.

Second, try taking a wet washcloth, freeze it and give it to your puppy to chew on, if he's teething this may help with the soreness. Pet stores often sell toys you can fill with water and freeze, but washcloths or old rags work well also.

Third, it sounds like the puppy doesn't respect your daughter. He needs to be taught that every human in the household is alpha. This is where formal obedience will help immensely, particularly if your daughter is involved. Enroll in obedience classes (even if he's already been through a puppy class already...move up to the next level), explain to the trainer the problem you are having and ask to have your daughter involved in the training.

Fourth, for the time being, only let the puppy around your daughter when you are supervising and able to give him a correction. As soon as he starts getting rambunctious and 'mouthy', tell him 'NO' loudly and lay him on his stomach. Keep him pinned down (gently, don't hurt him, you just want to restrain him on the groun) until he submits. If your daughter is comfortable, she should do this....it will help him view her as a leader. If she's not comfortable, or you're not comfortable with her doing it, you should do it. Also, it's very important that until you've corrected this behavior, your daughter doesn't do anything to tease or provoke the behavior. So, she should be calm at all times around the dog. As soon as it's under control and he knows he's not supposed to mouth, she can run around and play with him.

I hope these suggestions help....please don't give up on the dog until you have explored EVERY angle. Good luck!

Answer 3

He needs discipline. Not commands (he probably doesn't know what you mean, dogs don't speak english) or physical punishment (he is learning from his leader to use physical aggression to get what he wants.) Your daughter needs to be in charge. She needs to make him sit and stay while she puts the food on the floor and release him when she is ready. She needs to hand feed him, with yor supervision, so he learns that food is to be worked for and earned, from your daughter, a leader. You both need to take him for walks and try a training class (PetSmart offers 8week classes for around $99 depending on your area, and they're guaranteed). Basically you need to establish dominance, not by aggression but by order. He works to get food from everyone, he's not handed anything or being loved on because he's jumping up on you (him commanding you to respond to him). Your daughter needs to train him, and then play appropriately. Tug is probably not a suitable game at this point becaue he learns that his playful tugging and snapping gets him what he wants. Is anyone rough housing with him? That is teaching him how to treat his playmates.

Answer 4

If the daughter is running, tell her not to run. He'll think she's playing with him. Keep up the discipline and have her do it. It might be a dominance thing. Have her tell him no and tap him on the nose. Another thing to do is talk to a trainer. Praise him when he does something right so he knows the difference and keep it going. It has to be continuous or he'll get mixed signals.

Answer 5

I think you should consult a trainer to find out some effective methods of dealing with this. Obviously, since the dog does not respond to commands during his "chewing" obsession, you need to figure something out. I think a trainer would be your best bet.

Answer 6

Why are you allowing this to happen? Where are you when this happens? You should be supervising this time when the dog and your child are together. Maybe if you were you might discover that your daughter is doing something to cause it.

Answer 7

retrivers are like that they want something to put in their mouth. so the first thing they go for is the arm. i had the same problem. i covered her nose and she let go. or you can grab a toy and dangle it in front of her she/he will go for it. or take you thunb and press down on her tounge just a little and she will open her mouth.

Answer 8

that sounds like something for the dog whisperer. here is the website.http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/submissions.php. maybe possibly they can do a story on him before you decide to get rid of him

Answer 9

Some dogs don't grow out of this. You really need to consider getting rid of it, no matter how cute he is .

Answer 10

Sorry, but the dog has to go.,,,,,,,,If you have tried and you can not get the dog to stop then the dog must go.